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Approximate CFTs and Random Tensor Models

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arxiv 2308.03829 v2 pith:YV6RJTSI submitted 2023-08-07 hep-th cond-mat.str-elgr-qc

Approximate CFTs and Random Tensor Models

classification hep-th cond-mat.str-elgr-qc
keywords ensemblesquantumapproximatecftsconstraintsrandomtensorconformal
verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal T4 reserved
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A key issue in both the field of quantum chaos and quantum gravity is an effective description of chaotic conformal field theories (CFTs), that is CFTs that have a quantum ergodic limit. We develop a framework incorporating the constraints of conformal symmetry and locality, allowing the definition of ensembles of `CFT data'. These ensembles take on the same role as the ensembles of random Hamiltonians in more conventional quantum ergodic phases of many-body quantum systems. To describe individual members of the ensembles, we introduce the notion of approximate CFT, defined as a collection of `CFT data' satisfying the usual CFT constraints approximately, i.e. up to small deviations. We show that they generically exist by providing concrete examples. Ensembles of approximate CFTs are very natural in holography, as every member of the ensemble is indistinguishable from a true CFT for low-energy probes that only have access to information from semi-classical gravity. To specify these ensembles, we impose successively higher moments of the CFT constraints. Lastly, we propose a theory of pure gravity in AdS$_3$ as a random matrix/tensor model implementing approximate CFT constraints. This tensor model is the maximum ignorance ensemble compatible with conformal symmetry, crossing invariance, and a primary gap to the black-hole threshold. The resulting theory is a random matrix/tensor model governed by the Virasoro 6j-symbol.

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